


Valerian

by Aescela



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Character Study, Cuteness overload, Fluff, M/M, Massive fluff, Monologue, One-Shot, Puzzleshipping, Romance, Sharing a Body, Two Souls In One Body, Yu-Gi-Oh - Freeform, canon-friendly, fluffparty, not really mentioning a relationship but it is strongly hinted, puzzleboys, puzzlefeelings, puzzleship, romantic, yami being a protective dork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-14 23:58:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18487093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aescela/pseuds/Aescela
Summary: Yami takes Yugi's body to bed after finding his partner sleeping at his desk.





	Valerian

**Author's Note:**

> Just a one-shot, pretty puzzleshippy, hopefully a cute little character study. I got inspired to write this by a freaking adorable comic strip made by millennialpendant on tumblr. Go check them out, they have so much talent. 
> 
> For anyone else, enjoy. It's my first fic in that fandom so feel free to leave feedback. It has a very serious undertone for what I'm used to for YGO stories but that's me I guess... I hope the fluff meter is cranked up far enough. "Valerian" is a plant with sedating properties used to help ppl fall asleep. Just sayin'.

When Yami opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was an eraser directly next to his nose and a piece of paper with a scribbled Dark Magician Girl under his cheek. For a second he frowned, needing a moment to get his bearings, then the pain in his back registered. With a soft grunt, he lifted his head from the hard surface he'd been resting on when he took control over Yugi's body and looked around.

 _Partner?_ , he asked the other half of his mind. He didn't expect an answer.

When Yugi remained silent, Yami shook his head and smiled before quietly sanding up from the desk, careful not to wake his host's soul through hasty movements. The moonlight filtered in through the skylight in Yugi's room and the small clock on the window sill showed him it was way past midnight. So Yugi had passed out cold while sitting on his desk, finally overwhelmed by tiredness.

The spirit felt for his partner's presence in his mind, tugging gently on that invisible thread connecting the two souls sharing a body.

Yugi was sound asleep.

 _It's alright Yugi_ , Yami thought with an amused smile, _catch up on some sleep. We'll decide tomorrow if we should keep that trap in our deck or not._

_Before that, I'll need your body for just a moment though, to do you a favor._

He knew Yugi wouldn't mind, but he asked his sleeping partner's soul anyway, more out of habit than actually expecting to be heard. Yugi's soul didn't so much as flutter. He must have been bone tired.

Yami reached out and picked up the dueling cards scattered on the desk surface between writing supplies, school papers and notes. With practiced movements he piled them up in a neat stack and placed the deck back on the desk. The trap card that had occupied Yugi's attention before he left next to the deck so his partner could continue their work tomorrow.

While Yami was usually aware of what was happening around his partner's body even when he was not in control - something born rather from his deeply rooted wish to make sure Yugi was fine than needing to be updated on every detail of his friend's day - this evening Yami had withdrawn for a while, wandering the depths of the puzzle while Yugi worked. They'd come home late but Yugi insisted he'd take a look at their deck again, and, not for the first time, had finally fallen asleep with his head on the desk surface after hours of arranging cards. When Yami had surfaced from the puzzle to inquire after his partner's progress and not gotten any response, he'd hurriedly checked on Yugi's state and, to his great relief, found him sleeping hunched over the cards once he took control.

Yami let out a soft grunt as he stretched his back. If he'd let Yugi sleep in that position, his partner would be suffering from a stiff neck and sore limbs next morning, and Yami wouldn't allow that. Determinedly, as if performing a very important task, the spirit turned to the bed and started undressing with careful, considerate movements. While he folded Yugi's school jacket to place it over the back of his chair, he kept feeling for his partner's sleeping presence, a soft, warm bundle tucked into the depths of their shared mind, so much more quiet than the usual lively, cheerful glow Yugi radiated. Yami slipped out of his shirt and pants to place them on the chair as well.

The puzzle was next. The spirit carefully hung what served as his soul's container over the bedpost so that Yugi could see it as soon as he opened his eyes, knowing how important it was to his partner to know it was near him. The thought warmed something deep inside Yami, and he allowed himself to enjoy that short moment of blushing cheeks and quickening heartbeat, now that he had the luxury to be alone with his thoughts for once while Yugi's mind slept.

 _Not that I'd ever be able to hide anything from you, partner..._ Yami mused, his fingertips half-consciously touching his chest right above his heart. _And not that I'd want to._

He continued to undress before his thoughts could reach dangerous places.

When the spirit arrived at Yugi's underwear, he frowned and hesitated. Yami knew Yugi's sleeping habits. The boy usually slept in a pyjama during colder nights, but warm nights had him prefer boxers and a tank top. For a long moment, the spirit stood in the middle of Yugi's room, trying to get a feeling for the temperature to judge whether this was a pyjama night or a tank top night. He really wanted to make sure Yugi was neither sweating nor freezing once he returned to the puzzle, and not being able to ask made this a difficult task. As a bodiless spirit he did have some sort of distance to physical sensations, and while registering things like pain, warmth, touch or wetness while occupying Yugi's body, it didn't always trigger the same response in him as it did for that body's original owner.

Burgundy eyes narrowing in concentration, Yami lifted his hands and gently ran them over his arms, Yugi's arms, caressing the skin from his wrists up to his shoulders as if hugging himself. There were no goosebumps, just warmth and smoothness. Yugi wasn't freezing, that much was sure.

The exploration took a little longer than absolutely necessary. Chalking it up to simply being very meticulous about Yugi's comfort, Yami fought down a blush and settled for boxers and tank top. He kicked his socks in a corner and padded to the bathroom to brush his teeth, keeping the noise to a minimum to not wake Yugi's sleeping grandfather. Before turning the tap off he filled a glass of water and carried it back to Yugi's bedroom to place it on the nightstand, just in case Yugi woke up thirsty in the middle of the night.

Satisfied with his task, the spirit finally laid down on the bed, pulling the blanket up and around Yugi's body, then rolled onto his side since this was his partner's preferred sleeping position.

This was a detail of knowledge about Yugi that Yami owed to those countless nights he spent watching over the boy, his gaze switching back and forth between the stars visible through the skylight and his dozing host. Yami usually tried to tell himself he used the nightly silence in their shared mind to contemplate his fate, his purpose, but they both knew that wasn't the only reason.

During the nights Yami spent sitting right next to his sleeping partner, occasionally materializing enough so he could reach out and brush a ghostly, feather-light caress over the other's face, marveling at the pride he felt for his partner, it was especially challenging to ignore that reason.

After squirming under the blanket until Yami felt comfortable, the spirit decided that he'd done all he could to make sure Yugi would sleep peacefully. He got ready to hand his control over to the sleeping soul within him, but hesitated for another moment, considering.

The spirit blinked, took a deep breath, let it go again and surrendered.

Yami lifted his hand, Yugi's hand, up to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss against the soft skin on the back of it, lingering for a long moment. He kissed Yugi's hand again, and again, before tucking it under his cheek.

Then, finally, he closed his eyes and withdrew to rest in the puzzle hung on the bedpost, while Yugi dreamed of caresses and warmth.

 

 


End file.
